Improvement in letter-boxes



1. KEY A POST BOX .y 1 1 8 0 5 '7 Fig 1 BATENTEB AUG 151871 PATENTOFFICE.

JOHN A. RYAN, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN LETTER-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 118,057, dated August15, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. RYAN, of Cleveland, in the county ofCuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and ImprovedPrivate Post-Box; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and complete description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing making part of the same.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the box. Figs. 2 and 3 are side viewsof the same.

Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several views.

This invention relates to a private letter-box in which to drop lettersand other mail matter by the letter-carriers; and the object thereof isnot only to receive such mail matter directed to families having one ofthese boxes in use, but also to advise them that there is some matter inthe box by means of an indicator, which, on putting a letter, &c., intothe box, is dropped, thereby indicating the fact that the box containssomething, and thus save the trouble of going to the box to see if thereis anything therein, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the drawing, A represents the body of the box, which is of arectangular form, and covered with a roof or hood, B. In one side ofsaid box is a door, 0, Fig. 3, whereby access is had to the inside.Immediately above said door is a drop or indicator, 1), hinged to theside of the box at the point (I. Said indicator is prevented fromfalling down by means of a hook, E, Fig. 2, formed on one end of a rod,F, whereas the opposite end of said rod is attached to a drop-door, Gr,hinged at the point I) to the inside of the box, and which covers theletter-hole on the inside, said hole be ing covered on the outside bythe drop H, Fig. 1.

This box is placed in front of the house or in any place where it can beseen by the inmates from the window or door, and in such position thatthe side on which the indicator referred to can be seen from thebuilding.

Now, on raising the fall H, whereby the letterhole is covered, andinserting a letter therein, the drop-door G on the inside of the holewill be pushed back, as indicated by the dotted lines a, which will alsocarry the rod back and slip the hook from off the edge of the indicator,as shown by the dotted lines (I, Fig. 2, thereby allowing the indicatorto drop down to the position indicated by the dotted line 0. The inside,being of a brighter color than the body of the box, can be seen by theinmates of the house, who will learn from this display and position ofthe indicator that something is in the box. As the indicator falls downpartially over the door C it must necessarily be raisedbefore the doorcan be again closed 5 hence the act of lifting the indicator in order toopen or shut the door will cause the hook to again fasten upon its edgeand hold it until it is again thrown down by the introduction of otherletters or matter, as before. For convenience, the name of the residentis printed upon the drop H, and the number of the house, as shown in thedrawing.

WV hat 1 claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

The rod F, in combination with the door Gr, hook E, indicator D,constructed and arranged to operate in combination with the box A,substantially in the manner as described and for the purpose set forth.1

JOHN A. RYAN. WVitnesses W. H. BURRIDGE, SPENCER D. EARL.

